Apps for the Expecting Dad

Becoming a dad is an amazing and exhilarating experience and the perfect apps are an absolute necessity for every modern super dad in the making.  The following iPhone apps can prepare you for your little bundle of joy as you are waiting anxiously for your baby to be born.

What to Expect when Expecting

Based of the famous book with the same name.  As with most baby apps you will be updated on the current develpments of your baby.  You will also receive articles and videos discussing current issues that you, your partner and your baby may be facing.

Life in The Womb

An iPad app with amazing visuals.  Information and animations provide every involved dad-to-be with visually stimulating pictures explaining your babies latest developments

Amazon

When I became a dad, I received the tip to automate and outsource everything possible.  As a father you will be busy cleaning the house, chauffeuring your new family and elbow deep in dirty diapers.  Get everything you can delivered.  I highly recommend Amazon's subscription service.  You can save money and save several trips to the store if you can be willing to plan ahead and buy in bulk ahead of time.

MY PREGNANCY TODAY

This app is similar to the What to Expect app.  However, I found the timeline provide easier to use and the information provided more timely.  You simply enter the expected due date and when you opened the app it explain the current state of your child.  I eventually ran into a small bug and the app always opened to week number two.  scrolling through 40 weeks was too cumbersome.  But until that point I was extremely happy with the app. 

Headspace

Prepare your inner peace and learn to meditate before you dive into the world of diapers and sleep deprivation.  The first ten guided meditations session were for free.  After that point you have to subscribe.  After going through the first 10 sessions I received a coupon code which greatly reduced the subscription price.  Andy's voice and British accent are nice a calming.  There is one single session on sleep which I have found extremely useful post birth.

GOOGLE MAPS

This is a no brainer but If you don't have this app you need it now.  With live traffic updates, the ability to download maps for offline use and the fact it is also a very reliable navigation system it is the must have map application for every father.  Don't be caught off guard unprepared when you have to make a dash to the hospital.

1SE

Create a creative video consisting of one second of footage shot per day.  Use this cool app in order to track the progress of the pregnancy and the beginning of your child's life.

CINEMAMA

Have you ever wanted to create you own time lapse video of your partners growing belly?  With the helpful app you can do just that.  The app provides guide lines in order to align the picture.  But you will need to have a Facebook account in order to use the app.

These were the apps  I found most useful as I grew into my role as a father.  If you have any other apps you would recommend let me know in the comments below.

5 German beers which you have to try

Germany is, with good reason, the land of beer.  Germans have crafted beer brewing to perfection and the degree to which they use the subtlety of flavors and aromas is how they make the best beer possible.  In German beer, you can experience all the amazing things that make Deutschland great in one amazing beverage.  If you consider youself a beer expert, then here are five beers which you have to try.

• Augustiner Edelstoff

Augustiner Edelstof is the finest crafted beer and best tasting beer I have ever had the pleasure of tasting.  Brewed in Munich, it is not well known around the world, it is what a true "Müncher Kindl" drinks on a everyday basis.  This beer is already a step up from their exceptional Helles, with even better ingredients. It is perfection in balance between bitterness, fullness and aroma.  With enough carbonation to make it incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day by the grill but enough full flavor to be enjoyed on a frigid winter day.  It is the master of flavor and perfect for every situation.  It is truly amazing.  If you can find it, give it a try and if you are in bavaria pick up a case.  You will thank me.

• Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

For those that know Bavaria, a wheat beer and not a maß, is the main liquid refreshment of the Bavarians.  This hazy beer is enjoyed for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It has a malty flavor and a slight aroma of oranges.  A Weizen isn't a very light beer however it is much more refreshing than many dark beers.  Bavarians also say that it is extremely healthy.  Well, as healthy as a beer can be.  Being that it is partially filtered it has many vitamins that are carried in the yeast which are filtered out of other beers.  So, do something for your health and enjoy a wheat beer. 

• Päffgen Kölsch

On top of the fact that Päffgen Kölsch has a lot of umlauts, it is the finest of the Cologne brews.  It is well balanced in bitterness and fullness with the same light carbonation that all Kölsch beers have.  However, one thing that makes this beer truly unique is that you can only drink it in Cologne.  Päffgen Kölsch is only available in select Cologne locations and it is not for sale in a bottle or keg.  This alone insures that every Päffgen Brauhaus is always full to the brim with locals getting what they cannot have anywhere else.  So, for the best Kölsch experience you will have to make your way to Cologne and stay awhile.

• Kneitinger Bock

I heard about Kneitinger Bock before I moved to Regensburg.  It is well known and praised among beer connoisseurs in Bavaria and that is saying something.  Brewed in the heart of Regensburg, an amazingly beautiful medeval city, it is a dark beer with a slightly fruity malted taste to it and it isn't a bitter as most dark beers. Therefore it isn't too heavy and it can be enjoyed quite rapidly.  It is great beer for winter or enjoyed with a hearty German meal.  However, be careful as this beer has alcohol content 6.8 Vol%.  Just like the goat on the label, it has one hell of a kick! 

• Becks

If you haven't heard of Becks then you have been doing something wrong.  It is standard go-to beer of Germany and probably the most well-known German beer outside of Germany.  Brewed in Bremen, it is light and refreshing without overdoing any complicated flavors.  It's green bottle and label are recognized immediatly.  It doesn't strive to be extraordinary, it just tastes good.  Pick up a six pack of Becks and have a good time.